^ ■  fa  „ 

-  \  '  |\/T  ■  - 

THE  SAILOR’j^  SARBATH ; 

^  OR 

A  WORD  FROM  A  FRIEND  TO  SEAMEN. 


a^onolulu,  ©alju: 

FUBLISHEI)  BY  THE  HAWAIIAN  TRACT  SOCIETY. 

1846. 


THE  SAILOR’S  SABBATH. 


It  is  a  bright  feature  of  the  present  age,  that  truth, 
philanthropy  and  love,  are  extending  their  influences  to 
ail  classes  of  men.  Amonij  the  many  objects  ofbenevo=' 
lent  interest  the  seaman  is  not  forgotten.  His  temporal 
and  eternal  wants  have  found  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  the 
good.  .4n  earnest  desire  is  enkindled  in  the  souls  of 
Christians,  to  promote  the  happiness  of  his  whole  being — 
physical,  civil,  social,  intellectual  and  moral. 

This  is  true  of  those  who  ride  upon  the  mountain  bil¬ 
low,  and  brave  the  loud  tem[)est  of  mid-ocean;  of  those 
who  plow  the  bosom  of  inland  seas,  or  thread  the  sinuous 
coast;  and  also  of  those  who  glide  along  the  more  quiet 
waters  of  rivers  and  canals  To  thi-  class  of  men,  and 
more  especially  to  those  connected  with  the  Whaling  ser¬ 
vice  and  their  friends,  the  writer  would  address  a  few 
remarks. 

Having  been,  for  more  than  20  years,  conversant  with 
this  vigorous  and  enterprising  portion  of  our  race,  he  is 
hsppy  lo  say  that,  among  the  numerous  sons  of  the  deep, 
there  are  not  a  few  of  enlightened,  elevated,  noble  and 
generous  minds,  as  well  as  many  sincere  Christians. 
Still,  it  is  an  undeniable  and  an  affecting  fact,  that  the 
great  mass  of  seafaring  men,  are  very  far  from  that  high 
standard  of  excellence,  both  moral  and  intellectual,  which 
they  might  attain.  Such  improvement  and  elevation  of 
character  as  we  desire,  would  carry  in  it  a  double  bless¬ 
ing;  for  while  it  inspired  in  the  sailor  self-respect,  and 
clothed  him  with  respectability — while  it  augmented  his 
happiness  in  time,  and  prepared  him  for  a  bright  immor¬ 
tality,  it  would  also  convert  him  into  a  friend,  a  benefac¬ 
tor,  and  an  angel  of  light  to  the  nations. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  oratory  and  poetry  have  said 
and  sung  of  the  generous  and  splendid  qualities  of  the 
sailor,  still  such  eulogies  must  be  received  with  much 
abatement.  There  is  more  of  fiction,  flattery  and  ro¬ 
mance,  than  of  sober  iruih  in  them.  Jack,  after  all,  has 


2 


THE  SAILOll’s  SABBATH. 


wandered  far  from  his  home  and  his  God  The  winds  of 
temptation,  like  a  pressing  tempest,  have  driven  him  wide 
from  a  heavenward  course,  and  the  currents  of  passion 
have  carried  him  far  from  tlie  haven  of  peace.  1  he  ocean 
is  covered  with  iwrec/cs— not  o(  ships,  but  of  men— of  men 
who  have  broken  the  ties  of  country  and  of  kindred  ot 
sons  who  have  sundered  the  strong  cords  of  a  mothers 

soul _ nf  brothers  who  have  crushed  a  tender  sister  s  heart 

—o( husbands  who  have  wantonly  violated  the  most  sacred 
coniucral  vows— of  citizens  who  have  trampled  on  the  ob¬ 
ligations  of  allegiance,  quenched  the  fires  of  patriotism, 
and  plunged  into  folly  and  crime.  And  now,  impelled  by 
fear  or  shame;  by  remorse  or  revenge;  by  desperation 
or  reckless  daring,  they  have  left  their  native  shores, 
hopin.r  to  bury  their  crimes  and  their  names  in  the  vast 
and  pmfound  solitudes  of  ocean,  or  forget  themse  ves 
amidst  the  strangeness  and  the  bustle  of  distant  realms. 
In  this  catalogue  mav  be  found  many  a  once  fair  profes¬ 
sor  of  reli<non,  who  has  violated  the  most  solemn  covenant 
vows  evei^vitnessed  and  recorded  by  High  Heaven,  and 
who  is  now  plunging  deeper  into  sin,  and  hurrying  on  to 
a  more  fearful  doom  than  the  dark-souled  pagan.  This 
picture,  of  course,  applies  to  a  portion  only  of  seafaring 
men*  but  the  great  mass  need  reformation  on  certain  im¬ 
portant  points  connected  with  morality.  Among  the 
Inany  which  might  be  named,  the  only  one  novv  selected 
as  the  subject  of  this  essay,  is.  The  violation  of  the  Lord  s 
Day  by  Seamen  generally;  but  more  espec.ally  by  those  con¬ 
nected,  directly  or  remotely,  with  the  Whaling  service. 

It  were  easy  to  show  from  all  history,  liorn  observa¬ 
tion,  and  from  innumerable /acts,  that  the  highest  state  of 
civilization,  refinement,  enterprise,  intelligence  and  tem¬ 
poral  prosperity,  can  never  exist  without  the  Sabbath. 
And  the  world  may  be  challenged  to  produce  a  single  in¬ 
stance  of  a  nation,  either  ancient  or  modern,  which  has, 
without  a  Sabbath,  maintained  a  pure  and  unsullied  virtue, 
a  sound  and  vigorous  morality,  and  a  spiritual  and  hea¬ 
venly  religion.  Among  all  nations,  and  in  a  1  time  public 
and'private  virtue,  and  “pure  and  undefiled  religion, 
have  flourished  or  declined  as  the  Sabbath  has  been  sa¬ 
credly  kept  or  wantonly  desecrated.  Whoever,  there¬ 
fore  shall  throw  his  whole  influence  on  the  side  of  a 
prop’er  observance  of  this  sacred  day,  will  be  a  friend 
and  a  benefactor  of  mankind;  and  he  who  throws  his  in- 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath.  3 

fluence  into  the  opposite  scale,  is  a  practical  enemy  to 
his  race. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  apply  these  r'^niarks  by  an 
appeal  to  that  class  of  men  who  are  engaged  or  interested 
in  a  seafaring  life,  especially  to  those  connected  with  the 
whaling  service. 

I.  Oiir  first  inquiry  is,  Why  do  ships  so  of  ten  have  port 
on  the  Lord's  Day  '? 

It  has  been  said — and  probably  with  truth — that  more 
ships  leave  port  on  the  Sabbath  than  on  any  other  day  of 
the  week.  Now  why  is  this  ?  Does  it  merely  happen! 
or  is  it  done  through  carelessness  and  want  of  consider¬ 
ation  ?  Is  it  done  to  pain  the  hearts  of  a  Sabbath  keeping 
community,  and  to  insult  the  -‘Lord  of  the  Sabbath?” 
Or  do  the  breezes  of  heaven  blow  moi  e  favorably  and  more 
wooingly  on  that  hallowed  day?  Are  seamen  in  haste  to 
leave  parents,  brothers,  sisters,  wives,  children  and  com¬ 
panions?  Do  they  feel  imiiatient  of  one  day’s  delay  amidst 
sanctuaries,  and  Christian  privileges,  and  the  cherished 
scenes  of  a  loved  land?  Or  do  they  esteem  it  an  act  of 
pious  atid  exhilirating  devotion,  to  spread  their  while  can¬ 
vas  to  the  winds  of  heaven,  and  to  move  forth  upon  the 
bosom  of  the  great  deep  amidst  the  chime  of  church  going 
bells,  the  solemn  peals  of  the  organ,  and  the  glad  anthems 
of  the  saints?  But  how  often  have  these  slighted  melodies 
been  the  prelude  to  the  mariner’s  death  knell!  How  often 
have  they  but  a  little  preceded  the  funeral  dirge  which 
the  howling  winds  have  swept  over  the  sailor’s  watery 
grave!  And  what  assurance  has  the  seaman  who  thus 
launches  forth  upon  the  stoimy  sea,  to  pursue  his  wordly 
schemes,  in  open  disregard  of  the  command,  “  Remember 
the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy,”  that  he  will  ever  again 
enter  the  hallowed  precincts  of  the  sanctuary,  or  hear 
any  more  the  voice  of  the  messenger  of  peace? 

Again  we  ask;  and  why  does  the  mariner  leave  a  peace¬ 
ful  port  on  the  Lord’s  Day  ?  Does  he  flatter  himself  that 
it  will  be  approved  or  overlooked  by  Him  who  has  com¬ 
manded  us  to  keen  this  day  holy?  “The  winds  and  the 
sea  obey  ”  the  Sabbath’s  Lord,  and  why  not  man  for  whom 
the  Sabbath  wa.-.  made — who  was  created  in  the  image  of 
the  Eternal,  endowed  with  reason,  loaded  with  favors, 
and  invested  with  the  prerogatives  of  immortality?  Why 
should  a  dependent  creature  disregard  the  will  of  his  pro¬ 
tector  and  benefactor,  or  cfTeud  that  “God  in  whose  hand 


4 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


his  breath  is?”  or  provoke  that  power  on  whose  fiat  hangs 
all  destiny?  or  rush  upon  tlie  hiuh  helmet  of  Him  “  Who 
rides  and  thunders  through  the  skyV’  It  cannot  be  that 
seamen  are  under  the  intluence  of  that  false  and  foolish 
proverb,  The  better  tlie  day  the  better  the  deed!" 

One  says,  that  “  Bv  d^elaying  we  may  lose  a  fair  wind.” 
True — and  it  is  equally  true  that  you  may  not.  Some¬ 
times  you  will  lose  and  at  other  limes  you  will  gain  a  fair 
wind  by  a  few  day’s  delay.  Shi()3  often  beat  out  of  port 
on  the  Lord’s  Day,  against  a  head  wind,  and  sometimes 
they  are  towed  (»ut  by  three,  four  or  five  boats,  in  a  dead 
calm,  when,  had  they  remained  quietly  in  port,  a  fair  and 
favoring  breeze  would  have  carried  them  out  on  Monday. 

Another  says,  “One  day’s  delay  may  make  a  great 
difference  in  our  voyage.”  True — and  this  difference 
may  be  for  the  better  or  it  may  be  for  the  worse.  One 
day  earlier  may  greatly  expedite  a  voyage  by  securing  a 
good  wind  and  fair  weather,  or  it  may  lead  into  a  calm,  or 
drive  your  ship  into  a  storm  which  shall  shatter  her  and 
hurry  all  on  board  into  a  watery  tomb.  These  are  all 
contingencies  with  which  we  have  nothing  to  do,  and  on 
which  true  philosophy  and  true  faith  will  not  speculate. 
All  that  c  mcerns  us  is  to  do  right,  and  in  doing  this  we 
need  fear  no  evil. 

“  But,”  says  one,  “  We  must  sail  when  we  are  ready. 
We  should  lie  blamed  for  lying  in  port  after  the  ship  is 
ready  for  sea.”  Now  this,  in  most  cases,  is  a  mere  sub¬ 
terfuge — especiallv  where  whalers  go  into  port  for  re¬ 
freshments.  Whale  ships  lie  in  port  from  one  to  four 
weeks,  according  to  the  pleasure  of  the  master — the  term 
may  be  prolonged  or  shortened  at  his  discretion — and  he 
may,  usually,  fix  on  any  day  he  chooses  in  the  week  for 
sailing,  without  fear  of  being  called  to  account  for  stop¬ 
ping  one  day  too  long.  This  then,  as  every  one  knows, 
is  not  the  difficulty. 

Among  a  certain  class  of  men  there  is  a  strange  and 
unaccountable  rage  for  sailing  on  the  Lord’s  day.  This 
rage — to  say  nothing  of  its  immorality — is  often  ridicu¬ 
lous.  For  example.  A  ship  is  about  ready  to  sail  on 
Friday;  but  “  Friday  is  an  unlucky  day,’’  and  no  prudent 
mariner — vvho  would  nail  a  horse  s/ioe  to  his  main-mast  or 
in  his  cabin,  “to  keep  the  witches  off” — would  think  of 
sailing  on  that  day  ;  as  there  are  more  tales  of  hurricanes, 
.shipwrecks,  and  disasterous  voyages,  in  consequence  of 


6 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 

leaving  port  on  Friday,  than  of  all  the  ghosts  and  witch¬ 
craft  ot  New  England.  And  now,  as  llie  bud  day”  must 
be  passed  in  port,  and  as  “  Sunday  is  the  most  fortunate 
day  lor  sailing;”  and  moreover,  as  “one  day  will  not 
make  much  dili’erence  in  a  long  voyage,”  Jack  is  allowed 
to  take  things  easily,  while  “  the  Old  Man”  spends  Satur¬ 
day  in  making  calls, .  bidding  larewells,  and  “doing  up 
last  things,”  ready  to  sail  “early  Sunday  morning.” 

Should  the  tables  turn,  however,  and  should  any  delay 
or  disappointment  in  business  make  it  difficult  to  be  ready 
for  sea  on  the  Lord’s  Day,  then  every  nerve  is  strained 
to  its  utmost  tension.  Jack  is  at  work  early  and  late — 
all  is  hurry  and  confusion — little  things  are  left  undone — 
ship-stores,  freight,  etc.,  are  thrown  pell-mell  into  the 
hold  and  on  deck — the  sailor  or  the  passenger  must  take 
his  linen  wet  from  the  tub  of  his  washer-woman,  or  leave 
it  behind;  and  sometimes  the  poor  laundress  is  “left  in 
the  lurch”  without  her  hard-earned  wages,  and  “  the  ship 
must  go  to  sea,”  as  if  the  salvation  of  a  world  depended 
on  her  s  iling  on  this  day.  This  practice  is,  however, 
less  prevalent  than  formerly.  Many  noble-minded  and 
conscientious  ship  masters  are  setting  a  better  example. 
May  all  soon  follow  it. 

II.  Our  second  inquiry  is,  'Do  oivners  of  whale  ships 
know  that  their  vessels  whale  on  the  Lord's  Dayl 

It  has  been  said  that  they  do;  and  not  only  so,  but  that 
they  approve  of  and  expect  it.  And,  furthermore,  it  is 
affirmed  by  many,  that  they  absolutely  require  it  as  one  of 
the  conditions  on  which  they  give  their  ships  to  their 
commanders.  It  is  also  said,  that  many  of  these  ship 
owners  are  members  of  evangelical  churches  in  Nan¬ 
tucket,  New  Bedford,  Fair  Haven,  New' London,  Warren, 
Newport,  and  other  places.  Some  owners  it  is  said,  say 
nothing  to  their  captains  on  the  subject,  and  if  their  ships 
do  but  return  full  no  inquiries  are  made  how  or  on  what 
days  the  oil  was  obtained.  Now  and  then  a  shrewd 
Yankee  Captain  “  guesses  that  his  pious  owners  have  no 
objections  to  his  taking  oil  u'hen  he  can  gel  it.”  A  full 
ship  fills  the  heart  with  joy,  and  lights  up  the  countenance 
with  an  approving  and  benignant  smile;  while  a  half-filled 
ship  often  clouds  the.  brow,  excites  the  spleen,  fills  the 
biliary  ducts,  and  distuibs  the  loyful  and  generous  action 
of  the  heart.  Especially  would  this  be  so,  had  the  :rew 
of  the  half-filled  ship  been  permitted  to  rest  one  day  in 
seven,  “  according  to  the  commandment.” 

1* 


6 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


On  land,  “the  man-servant  and  the  maid  servant,  the 
ox  and  the  ass,”  may  rest  on  the  Sabbath.  But  other 
laws  prevail  on  the  sea.  Here  all  the  servants  of  Mam¬ 
mon — animate  and  inanimate — agents  and  instruments — 
must  work  whenever  the  master  calls.  The  head,  the 
heart,  the  lungs,  the  bones,  sinews  and  muscles;  together 
with  the  ships,  boats,  oars,  harpoons,  lines,  lances,  s[)ades, 
caldron,  fuel,  every  thing,  must  be  taxed  in  the  all-absorb¬ 
ing  eflbrt  to  secure  a  little  filthy  lucre  on  the  Lord’s  Day. 
Were  our  whaling  masters  and  officers  all  open  and 
avowed  infidels,  then  this  course  would  be  consistent  with 
their  principles.  But  how  shall  we  reconcile  it  with  the 
principles  ol  those  who  profess  to  believe  the  Scriptures, 
and  especiallv  vvith  professors  of  religion?  No  wonder 
that  the  scofier  scoffs,  and  the  keen-eyed  sce|)tic  thinks 
he  sees  insincerity ,  inconsistency,  if  not  a  little  spice  of 
infidelity  in  these  professors. 

Occasionally  a  master,  an  officer  or  a  sailor,  hints  that 
he  would  be  glad  to  rest  on  the  Sabbath  according  to  the 
dictates  of  his  conscience;  Imt  this  he  may  not  do  but  at 
the  risk  of  losing  fiis  ship  and  being  thrown  out  of  em¬ 
ployment.  When  masters  !ind  officers  are  reasoned  with 
on  this  subject,  most  of  them  will  frankly  acknowledge 
that  the  practice  is  wrong,  and  uttei  ly  indefensible  on  all 
moral  principles.  “  But,”  say  they  “  our  owners  are  in 
the  fault,  you  should  begin  with  them,  they  can  stop  it  if 
they  will.”  Very  well.  We  have  begun  with  tlie  owners, 
just  as  we  are  told  to  do;  but  this  very  advice  of  masters 
and  seamen  reminds  us  of  a  principle  of  our  depraved 
natures,  viz;  a  disposition  to  excuse  or  to  palliate  our 
crimes  by  casting  the  blame  on  others.  When  our  first 
parents  fell,  Adam  threw  the  .sin  upon  Eve,  and  she,  in 
her  turn,  reproached  the  serpent  as  the  author  of  her 
transgression;  bui  the  poor  devil  had  no  one  on  whom  to 
lay  his  load.  The  same  principle  still  holds  true  after  a 
lapse  of  near  6.000  years — consequently,  when  the  sailor 
is  charged' with  deliberate  Sal)bath  breaking,  he  throws 
the  blame  upon  the  master  and  officers,  and  they  turn  it 
over  upon  the  owners;  and  the  question  now  arises,  on 
whom  will  the  owners  throw  their  responsibility? 

But  perhaps  these  owners,  at  least  the  religious  part  of 
them,  are  slandered  by  those  in  their  employ  This, 
surely,  is  possible,  as  ii  is  a  part  of  the  legacy  of  the  pious 
that  “their  names  shall  be  cast  out  as  evil.”  Moreover, 


1 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 

those  who  are  caught  in  bad  business  will  oAen  manage 
to  transfer  their  guilt  to  others  rather  than  bear  it  them¬ 
selves,  or  relieve  themselves  of  the  load  by  reformation. 
Should  any  ship  owner  feel  that  an  evil  and  groundless 
report  has  been  raised  against  him,  he  will  find  it  easy  to 
refute  it  by  taking  all  proper  measures  to  prevent  his  ships 
from  whaling,  &c.  on  the  Lord’s  Day,  and  by  securing 
to  all  in  his  employ  the  privilege,  at  least',  of  "  remember¬ 
ing  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy.”  And  may  God 
speed  all  those  who  honestly  set  their  hearts  to  this  good 
work. 

III.  Our  next  inquiry  is.  Do  professors  of  religion  en¬ 
gage  in  Sabbalh  Whaling  1 

It  is  truly  giatilying  to  know  that  there  are  pious  ship 
masters,  both  in  the  whaling  and  the  merchant  service, 
who  make  it  a  rule  never  to  leave  port  or  to  do  any  un¬ 
necessary  business  on  the  Lord’s  Day.  There  are  a  few 
whale  ships  whose  boats  are  never  lowered  to  pursue  the 
leviathans  of  the  deep  on  the  Sabbath.  No  “  look  out”  is 
kept  “  at  masthead,”  and  no  man  on  board  is  compelled 
to  break  the  laws  of  his  maker.  These  are  bright  spots 
upon  a  dark  ocean.  They  are  cheering  stars  in  the  sea¬ 
man’s  lowering  firmament.  They  are'heralds  and  har¬ 
bingers  of  day  to  the  benighted  and  tempest-driven  mari¬ 
ner.  To  such  masters,  and  to  all  who  co-operate  with 
them,  we  would  say: 

“  Launch  thy  hark,  mariner — 

Chiastian,  God  speed  thee — 

Lei  loose  the  rudder  band — 

Good  angels  lead  thee.” 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  painful  to  see  a  class  of 
masters,  <  fficers  and  seamen  "who  are  professors  of  the 
religion  ol  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  yet,  who  do  not  scruple  to 
violate  the  sacred  laws  of  the  Sabbath  by  engaging  in  one 
of  the  most  arduous  and  perilous  of  enterprises ;  and  this 
too  with  no  better  excuse  than  the  love  of  gain.  And, 
what  is  mure  painful  still,  some  of  these  professedly  pious 
gentlemen,  defend  this  wicked  practice  with  a  tenacious 
stubborness — and  sometimes  bitlerness  even — such  as  is 
rarely  seen  among  those  who  make  no  pretensions  to 
piety.  Some  will  even  go  so  far  as  to  say,  “  It  is  as  much 
our  duty  to  whale  on  Sunday  as  to  pray  or  read  our 
Bibles.”  Such  expressions  mark  an  obtuseness  of  moral 
perceptions,  or  a  perverseness  of  heart  not  a  little  shock- 


8 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


ing  to  Christians  of  tender  consciences.  Nor  will  such 
remarks  ever  fall  from  the  lij)s  of  one  who  “  sets  God 
always  before  him,”  and  who  lives  each  day  in  readiness 
to  meet  the  Son  of  Man.  Should  the  messenger  of  death 
enter  the  ship  on  the  Sabbath,  what  reflecting  seaman 
would  not  prefer  to  meet  him  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand, 
or  on  his  knees,  rather  than  be  overtaken  by  him  while 
pursuing  his  mighty  prey  upon  the  bosom  of  the  deep, 
only  to  be  hurried  headlong  and  quivering  before  his 
Judge  by  the  flukes  or  the  jaws  of  this  mad  leviathan? 
“  Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  his  Lord,  when  he  cometh, 
shall  tind  watching.” 

Some  professedly  pious  captains,  in  order,  perhaps,  to 
hush  the  upbraidings  of  conscience,  altetnpt  a  soiT  of 
compromise  witli  their  Maker,  by  laboring  so  to  reconcile 
“  God  and  Mammon”  as  to  be  able  to  serve  both.  This 
class  w'ill  agree  to  “  do  no  unnecessary  work  on  the  Sab¬ 
bath,”  provided  their  own  interested  feelings,  and  the 
customs  of  worldly  men  may  determine  what  is  and  what 
is  not  necessary,  without  reference  to  the  word  of  God. 
Of  course,  all  such  will  decide  at  once,  and  as  by  intu¬ 
ition,  that  Sabbath  whaling  is  a  ipork  of  necessity.  Others 
go  still  farther.  They  will  consent  to  be  very  pious  and 
hold  religious  meetings  on  the  Sabbath,  w^heiv  tehrf,  are 
NO  whales.  Of  course  they  always  keep,a  man  at  “  mast¬ 
head,”  on  the  “  look  out”  for  the  oil  of  joy  to  the  whale¬ 
man,  while  the  rest  look  up  for  “an  unction  from  the 
Holy  One,” — or,  in  other  words,  one  man  looks  out  for 
Worldly,  while  the  rest  look  up  for  heavenly  good.  Now, 
should  it  so  happen,  that  the  prayer  of  this  mast-head 
MINISTER  should  be  first  granted,  by  “  raising  a  whale” 
during  Divine  service,  and  should  he,  from  his  lofty  pul¬ 
pit,  cry  out  “There  she  blows!”  then  what  a  thrill  of 
joy  electrifies  all  his  hearers!  How  soon  the  lesser  desire 
yields  to  the  greater!  How  quick  and  how  thrilling  the 
response  from  the  quarter,  “  Where  away!  Lower  the 
boats!  Bear-a-hand  boys!”  Now  the  scene  changes. 
Devotion  does  not  cease,  but  it  is  turned  [oto  another  chan¬ 
nel.  Prayer,  reading,  sacred  melody,  exhortation — all 
give  place  to  the  loeightier  matter  of  pursuing  this  MOV¬ 
ING  SEA  GOD!  The  object  of  devotion  thus  changed, 
interest,  zeal,  fervor,  energy,  are  all  quickened  and  strong¬ 
ly  developed. 

True,  most  irreligious  men  ridicule  this  kind  of  piety, 


the’sailor’s  sabbath. 


9 


and  heartily  despise  its  selfishness  and  inconsistency. 
Still,  this  pious  Sabbath  whaler,  defends  his  position  by 
saying  “  Christians  must  expect  to  be  persecuted  for 
righteousness’  sake.  The  wicked  are  always  watching 
professors  of  religion  and  sporting  with  their  faults.” 
Very  well.  If  these  religious  Sabbath  breakers  are  sure 
that  they  are  serving  God  by  whaling  on  his  holy  day, 
then  let  them  take  courage  in  spite  of  the  scoffs  and  sneers 
of  the  wicked  world,  for  Christ  has  said  to  his  disciples, 
“Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  perse¬ 
cute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you 
falsely,  for  my  sake.” 

Lord’s  Day  whalemen  often  complain  that  it  is  hard  to 
maintain  religion,  and  especially  so,  to  keep  up  Divine 
service  at  sea.  No  douht  it  is  hard,  and  perhaps  it  is 
impossible  to  exercise  true  religion  in  connection  with 
Sabbath  breaking.  The  two  cannot  be  reconciled.  “No 
man  can  serve  two  masters.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and 
Mammon  ” 

« 

A  clergyman  was  once  invited  to  preach  on  board  a 
whale  ship.  The  hour  for  service  having  arrived,  Capt. 

- said  to  the  officer  of  the  deck,  “  Mr.  - call  all 

hands  aft.”  The  crew  were  soon  assembled  in  the  cabin. 
An  “  old  salt”  remaining  behind,  the  Captain  inquired, 

“Where  is  S - ?”  “Down  in  the  hold,  sir — says  he 

won’t  come  to  meeting,  sir?”  He  was  then  called  again, 
but  to  no  effect.  He  had  gone  down  into  the  blubber 
hold,  and  entrenched  himself,  like  a  giant  in  his  castle, 
or  a  lion  in  his  lair.  He  was  reasoned  with,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  He  refused  to  be  routed.  In  his  den  he 
sat — and  in  his  den  he  growled  defiance — “  I  won't  come 
up.”  On  this  the  officer  left  him  and  reported  to  the 
captain. 

The  clergyman  now  asked  liberty  to  go  himself  and  in¬ 
vite  the  old  man  in  the  blubber  hold.  This  granted,  he 
proceeded  to  the  hatchway  and  kindly  invited  the  iron- 
hearted  tar  to  come  up  and  attend  service.  For  a  mo¬ 
ment  the  old  man  was  silent,  but  it  was  only  the  silence 
of  a  dark  cloud  while  it  gathers  strength  for  a  burst  and 
a  roar.  At  length  he  raised  his  stern  brow,  and  with  a 
look  of  defiance  brawled  out,  JYo!  I  won't  go!”  A 
gentle  effort  was  then  made  to  soften  his  rigid  nerves,  but 
Jack  was  not  to  be  taken  either  by  storm  or  stratagem. 
Again  he  roared  out,  “i  tell  you  no!  I  won't  go  there!” 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath, 


io 

On  being  asked  the  reasons  for  his  prejudice  against  re-” 
ligious  services,  he  again  thundered  out — “  I  don’t  want 

any  of  Captain  - ’s  religion!  One  Sunday  it  is  all 

preach  and  pray,  and  the  next  Sunday  it  is  work!  work! 
catch  lohttles!  catch  whales!  I  tell  you  I  don’t  want  any 
$uch  religioiu  JYo!  I  ivon't  go  aft  to  meetin’,  and  that’s  all 
about  it!”  The  result  of  this  interview  was  reported  to 
the  captain,  the  services  proceeded,  and  old  Jack  remain¬ 
ed  in  the  blubber  room. 

IV.  Our  next  inquiry  is.  Do  Clergymen  in  sea  ports 
and  Seamen's  Chaplains  preach  against  Sabbath  Whaling! 

But  why  ask  this  question?  Surely  the  ambassador  of 
Christ  will  not  fail  “  to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of 
God.”  Surely  the  herald  of  Heaven  will  keep  back  no 
part  of  his  message.  Surely  the  watchman  on  the  ram¬ 
parts  of  Zion,  will  sound  the  trump  of  alarm  on  the  ap¬ 
proach  of  danger.  Surely  the  mariner’s  friend  will  not 
fail  to  lift  his  warning  voice  above  the  roar  of  the  ocean, 
when  he  sees  whole  fleets  steering  for  a  deadly  reef,  or 
driving  into  foaming  breakers.  Surely  he  will  not  suf¬ 
fer  the  blood  of  the  lost  sailor  to  be  required  at  his  hands. 
Still,  it  is  possible,  that  through  inattention  to  this  sub¬ 
ject,  or  through  the  unconscious  influence  of  false  maxims 
and  customs,  some,  otherwise  faithful  ministers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  may  have  failed  to  discharge  their  whole  duty 
to  this  class  of  Sabbath  breakers.  Probably  many  good 
saainisters  of  the  Gospel  are  not  at  all  aw'are  how  exten¬ 
sively — how  nearly  universally  the  Sabbath  is  desecrated 
by  whalemen. 

But,  we  ask  again,  do  ministers  who  are  called  to 
preach  to  ship  owners  and  seafaring  men,  labor  to  en¬ 
lighten  and  reform  them  on  this  subject? 

Very  many  masters,  officers  and  seamen,  assert  that 
they  never  heard  a  minister  preach  against  Sabbath 
whaling  until  they  came  to  the  Sandwich  Islands;  and 
Eome  have  even  intimated  that  a  clergyman  who  should 
be  faithful  in  reproving  for  this  sin,  would  not  stop  hng 
in  New  Bedford,  Nantucket,  &.c.  Many  seamen  acknow¬ 
ledge  the  practice  to  be  wrong,  and  express  surprise  that 
chaplains  and  other  ministers  in  sea  ports  do  not  labor  to 
break  it  up.  Some  who  were  members  of  evangelical 
churches  in  the  United  States,  have  declared  to  the  writer, 
that  their  pastors,  when  questioned  as  to  the  morality  of 
Sabbath  whaling,  have  expressed  the  opinion  that,  “/rom 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


11 


the  peculiarity  of  the  circumstances,  it  might  be  right  for 
them  to  pursue  this  business  on  the  Lord’s  Day!”  This 
amounted  to  practical  advice,  and  greatly  soothed  the 

troubled  consciences  of  the  pious  sailors.  ^ 

Not  long  since  an  article  appeared  in  a  Seaman  s  Jour¬ 
nal,  purpoTfing  to  be  an  extract  from  the  sermon  of  a 
seamen’s  chaplain,  in  which  the  sailor  is  taught  that  it  is 
his  duty  to  whale  on  the  Sabbath  should  his  captain  com¬ 
mand  it;  and  that  he  need  not  suffer  his  conscience  to  be 
troubled  about  it;  that  the  master  of  the  ship  takes  the 
responsibility,  &.c.  &.c.  I?  this  dealing  faithfully  with 
men’s  consciences r  Does  it,  like  the  Bible,  press  every 
man  with  his  individual  and  untransferable  responsibility  ? 
Will  it  lead  each  man  to  feel  the  eternal,  the  immutable 
truth,  that  he  “  must  give  account  of  himself  to  God" — that 
he  must  stand  or  fall  to  a  greater  than  his  earthly  mas¬ 
ter?  Does  it  not  look  too  much  like  “  daubing  with  un¬ 
tempered  mortar” — like  preaching  “  smooth  things  — — 
like  seeking  to  please,  or  fearing  to  displease  men  and 
like  “crying  peace  when  there  is  no  peace? 

But,  perhaps,  some  of  these  ministers  are  slandered  by 
seamen.  Transgressors  are  ever  seeking  excuses  or  pal¬ 
liations  for  their  sins,  and  they  feel  ill  at  ease  till  they  can 
persuade  themselves  or  others,  that  some  at  least  who  ars 
called  good  men,  either  practice  as  they  do,  or  approve 
of  their  conduct.  Many  fearless  and  faithful  ministers, 
and  many  editors  of  Christian  journals,  are  not  aware  of 
the  painful  extent  to  which  the  sailor  is  deprived  of  his 
Sabbath,  nor  of  the  fearful  and  wide-spread  moral  evils 
which  flow  from  the  desecration  of  this  sacred  day  by  thiB 

class  of  men.  . 

Were  their  attention  once  turned  to  the  subject,  and  a 
sufficient  array  of  facts  brought  before  their  minds,  they 
would,  at  once,  speak  out  in  tones  which  should  arouse 
a  community  which  has  too  long  slumbered  over  the  im¬ 
measurable  interests  of  seamen.  The  sailor  needs  a 
Sabbath.  His  whole  nature — physical,  social,  intellectual 
and  moral,  needs  it;  and  every  true  friend  philanthro¬ 
pist,  minister  and  Christian,  will  rejoice  to  see  this  boon 
of  Heaven  restored  to  him. 

When  the  pulpit  and  the  press  in  our  sea  ports  shall 
become  the  trumpet  of  Jehovah,  sounding  forth  the  high 
sanctions  of  the  Sabbath,  and  kindly  calling  on  all  th© 
weary  and  storm-rocked  sons  of  ocean,  to  rest  from  their 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


i2 

iotls  on  that  holy  day,  and  to  worship  and  adore  Him  who 
made  the  deep  and  the  dry  land,  then  may  we  hope  that 
the  time  hastens  when  “  the  abundance  of  the  sea  shall 
be  converted  to  God.”  Then  may  we  look  for  the  day 
when  the  peaceful  Sabbath  sun,  as  it  gilds  with  golden 
glory  the  ocean’s  horizon,  shall  be  joyfully  hailed  by  ten- 
thousands  of  happy  seamen;  and  when  the  glad  anthem 
of  praise  shall,  like  an  incense  cloud,  roll  upward  from 
the  bosom  of  every  ocean  and  sea  and  navigable  water  of 
the  world. 

V,  We  now  ask,  Do  Churches  discipline  their  members 
for  tvhaling,  Sfc.  on  the  Sabbath'? 

By  the  arrangement  of  Christ,  and  by  the  common 
consent  of  Christendom,  ministers  of  the  Gospel  and 
Christian  churches,  are  the  public  and  practical  expoun¬ 
ders  of  the  Word  of  God.  It  follows,  of  course,  that  the 
doctrines  and  practices  of  the  great  mass  of  Christian 
professors,  will  form  the  standard  of  morals,  and  furnish 
the  code  of  appeal  among  men.  Consequently,  if  a  mis¬ 
take  be  made,  an  error  propagated,  or  a  vice  practised 
by  Christians  generally,  this  mistake,  this  error,  or  this 
vice,  will  be  viewed  as  harmless,  adopted  without  scruple, 
and  practised  without  compunction  by  mankind.  For  il¬ 
lustration  of  this  statement  we  need  only  refer  to  the  for¬ 
mer  views  and  practices  of  Christians  in  relation  to 
spirituous  liquors,  slavery,  war,  etc. 

The  world  will  slumber  over  any  cherished  sin  so  long 
as  ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  Christian  churches  slum¬ 
ber  over  it.  The  world  will  call  darkness  light,  bitter 
sweet,  and  evil  good,  so  long  as  ministers  and  churches 
do  not,  in  doctrine,  discipline,  and  life,  contradict  them. 

Now  the  command,  “  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
keep  it  holy,”  is  just  as  clear  and  just  as  binding  as  any 
other  law  of  the  decalogue;  and  its  violation  has  called 
down  as  severe  and  terrible  retribution  on  individuals 
and  on  nations  as  the  violation  of  any  other  command  of 
Jehovah.  How  then  can  a  ship  master,  an  officer  or  a 
common  seaman,  who  no  more  scruples  to  whale  on  the 
Lord’s  Day  than  to  eat  his  daily  food,  be  esteemed  a 
member  of  an  evangelical  church,  and  receive  a  certi¬ 
ficate  to  that  effect  from  his  nastor?  If  we  are  to  take 
the  Bible,  and  not  the  maxims  and  customs  of  men,  for 
our  rule  of  fa.th,  and  our  standard  of  morality,  we  might 
as  well  certify  that  the  man  who  steals  or  commits  adul- 


’i'HE  SAILOR^S  SABBATH. 


13 


•iery,  is  in  good  and  regular  standing  in  the  church  of 
Christj  as  the  professor  who  thus  wilfully,  deliberately, 
and  constantly  tramples  on  the  Sabbath.  The  same  God 
who  says,  “Thou  shalt  not  steal,”  &c.,  says  also,  “Re¬ 
member  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy.”  Traditions, 
maxims,  customs,  prejudices,  doctrines  and  speculations 
of  men,  do  not  change  the  immutable  and  immaculate 
laws  of  Heaven.  Should  any  church  in  a  Christian  land 
allow  its  members  to  engage,  on  the  Sabbath,  in  agricul¬ 
ture,  manufactures  or  traffic,  as  on  other  days  of  the  week 
— or  to  jish  even,  on  the  rivers,  lakes  and  shores  of  the 
country,  that  church  would  soon  become  a  taunt  and  a 
proverb,  an  execration  and  a  derision  among  men.  What 
then  is  the  difference  in  the  morality  of  the  thing,  and 
what  shields  the  professor  from  censure,  when  the  same 
worldly,  money-seeking  passion,  is  indulged  on  ^broader 
settle  upon  the  wide  ocean? 

The  missionary  church,  just  gathered  from  heathenism, 
would  be  looked  upon  as  a  burlesque  and  a  scandal  upon 
the  Christian  name,  were  its  members  allowed,  without 
rebuke,  to  sail  their  canoes,  drag  their  nets,  and  ply  their 
fishing  tackle  on  the  Lord’s  Day.  And  yet  the  plea  of 
necessity,  were  it  to  be  admitted  at  all,  would  be  much 
more  plausible  here  than  in  the  case  of  the  whalemen. 
No,  every  one  knows  that  it  is  not  right  to  pui’sue  this  bu¬ 
siness  as  it  is  pursued  by  most  whalers,  whether  professors 
or  non-professors. 

And  this  evil  is  not  confined,  in  its  influences,  to 
churches  in  Christian  lands.  Its  unhappy  effects  are 
also  felt  on  heathen  shores.  Take,  for  instance,  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  These  are  visited  annually  by  200  or 
300  whale  ships,  most  of  whose  masters  wish  to  ship  more 
or  less  natives  in  the  service.  Consequently,  not  a  few 
of  the  church  members  are,  by  the  hope  of  gain,  lured  to 
embark  in  an  enterprise  where  the  law  of  Jehovah  has 
less  practical  influence  over  the  mind  than  the  love  of 
money.  This  often  brings  the  pastor  into  painful  collis¬ 
ion  with  ship  masters  and  other  interested  persons,  as, 
from  a  sense  of  duty  he  cannot,  and  dare  not  neglect  to 
teach  his  flock  the  sin  of  engaging  in  a  business  in  which 
they  will  be  driven  to  desecrate  God’s  holy  day. 

Nor  does  the  evil  stop  here.  Church  members  who 
are  thus  enticed  to  violate  their  solemn  vows — by  labor¬ 
ing  on  the  Lord’s  Day — must  be  cut  off  from  our  fellow- 
2 


14 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


ship,  while  many  of  their  employers  from  enlightened  and 
Christian  lands,  are  suffered  to  remain  in  regular  stand- 
ing,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  unrebuked  in  their  re¬ 
spective  churches.  Ought  these  things  so  to  be?  Is  this 
setting  a  good  or  a  bad  example  before  these  feeble,  infant 
churches,  just  emerged  from  the  ruins  of  heathenism?  Is 
this  encouraging  or  opposing  the  efforts  of  the  benevolent 
to  evangelize  and  bless  the  benighted  pagan?  Is  this 
pleasing  to  God,  the  Judge  of  all  ?  Is  it  right  or  is  it 
wrong  ?  Let  the  candid  and  the  upright  answer. 

Were  the  whaling  business  conducted  on  Christian, 
and  liberal  principles,  many  of  the  best  and  most  consci¬ 
entious  young  men  would  be  encouraged  to  ship  in  the 
service,  thus  gaining  for  themselves  an  honest  and  com¬ 
petent  support,  while  they  benefited  their  employers. 
But,  as  the  enterprise  is  now  conducted,  sincere  Chris¬ 
tians,  who  have  been  faithfully  instructed,  and  who  dulv 
regard  their  sacred  vows  to  Heaven,  cannot  engag’c  in  it 
with  impunity. 

VI.  Our  next  inquiry  is,  Why  do  Masters  and  Officers 
whale  on  the  Lord’s  Day? 

One  says,  “  I  know  it  is  not  right  any  more  than  it  is 
right  to  plant  potatoes  on  the  Sabbath.  But  then  it  is 
custom.  Every  body  does  it,  and  it  is  of  no  use  for  one 
to  stop  if  others  don’t.  If  all  the  rest  would  give  it  up  I 
would!”  ^ 

But  you  do  not  mean  to  say  that  you  must  do  every 
thing  that  others  do;  or  that  you  cannot  refrain  from  fol¬ 
lowing  every  custom  around  you.  Suppose  you  lived  in  a 
community  where  it  was  the  custom  to  lie,  swear,  fight, 
steal  and  get  drunk,  would  it  not  do  for  you  to  refrain 
from  such  customs  till  all  did  so?  Scoffing  was  a  custom 
in  the  time  of  Noah,  and  God  poured  a  flood  of  wrath 
upon  the  custom.  "Filthy  conversation”  and  "un¬ 
righteous  deeds”  were  the  custom  of  the  Sodomites,  and 
God  rained  a  deluge  of  fiery  ruin  upon  the  people.  But 
did  Noah  and  Lot  gain  nothing  by  abjuring  the  customs 
of  their  times?  No!  no!  This  plea  of  custom  is  a  weak 
one  it  will  not  do.  All  that  an  independent,  self-respect- 
ing,  God-honoring  man  will  do  in  such  cases  is,  to  deter¬ 
mine  whether  a  practice  is  right,  and,  if  not,  to  abstain 
from  it,  custom  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  There  is 
honor,  there  is  dignity,  there  is  moral  sublimity  in  this. 
What  glory  irradiates  the  brows,  and  what  sacred  vene- 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


1.5 


ration  enshrines  the  memories  of  the  hold  pioneers~ihQ 
leaders  of  high  resolve  in  the  cause  of  human  freedom,  of 
temperance  and  of  philanthropy,  A  noble  soul,  endowed 
with  decision,  independence,  manliness,  courage  and  be¬ 
nevolence,  will  stem  the  current  of  popular  opinion  and 
abjure  prevailing  customs,  when  that  opinion  and  those 
customs  are  opposed  to  truth  and  righteousness.  The 
timid  and  the  weak  may  sail  before  a  gentle  breeze,  float 
down  stream  or  drift  with  the  tide;  but  to  stem  the  strong 
current,  and  to  struggle  in  the  teeth  of  the  tempest,  re¬ 
quire  the  nerved  arm  and  the  strong  heart.  And  how 
much  more  honorable  to  lead  in  entering  a  deadly  breach, 
and  in  storming  a  castled  foe,  than  timidly  to  follow  in 
the  rear  of  a  victorious  army,  simply  to  shai-e  in  the 
spoils. 

But  custom  is  not  the  only  excuse.  The  master  often 
says  that  his  officers  would  be  unwilling  to  abandon  Sab¬ 
bath  whaling,  and  the  officers,  in  their  turn,  think  that 
the  captain  would  not  consent  to  such  an  arrangement. 
Now  this  is  often  so:  neither  master  nor  officers  are  will¬ 
ing  to  give  up  the  practice.  They  understand  each  other, 
and,  like  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  agree  together  to  sin 
against  the  Lord,  Let  them  look  to  that  matter. 

Now  and  then  a  master  may  be  found  who  is  truly  ivill- 
ing  to  renounce  this  business;  but  his  officers  oppose. 
Again,  there  are  officers  who  would  sincerely  rejoice  to 
reform  this  practice,  but  the  captain  will  not  consent. 
This  renders  the  case  truly  unpleasant;  but  to  the  man 
who  fears  God  there  is  but  one  course  to  take.  Let  him 
say  to  those  who  would  compel  him  to  violate  his  consci¬ 
ence,  “  Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  ofGod  to  hearken 
unto  you  more  than  unto  God,  judge  ye.”  Acts,  4:  19. 

Sometimes  it  is  objected  that  the  creto  would  not  con¬ 
sent  to  renounce  Sabbath  whaling.  They  would  murmur, 
mutinize,”  etc.  As  every  one  knows  that  the  master 
commands  and  controls  the  ship,  it  is  enough  simply  to 
state  this  excuse  without  comment. 

“But,”  says  one,  “we  are  a  long  way  from  home.” 
And  is  that  a  reason  why  you  should  sin?  What  if  you 
should  never  reach  home!  Would  it  not  be  well  to  seek 
a  “  better  country?”  You  may  be  near  your  “long 
home,  ’  and  will  Sabbath  whaling  prepare  you  for  it. 

“  But,”  says  another,  “  our  voyages  are  long  at  the 
best,  and  we  wish  to  shorten  them  as  much  as  possible 


16 


THE  sailor’s  SABBAT^. 


that  we  may  get  back  to  our  friends.”  True — but  how 
do  you  know  that  Sabbath  whaling  will  hasten  your  re¬ 
turn.  It  is  with  the  Lord  whether  your  voyage  be  a  long 
or  a  short,  a  prosperous  or  a  disastrous  one.  He  is  able 
to  return  you  to  your  friends,  or  to  send  you  “to  that 
bourn  whence  no  traveller  returns.”  Will  it  not  be  wise 
to  bear  in  mind  this  truth,  viz;  you  will  shortly  embark 
on  a  longer  voyage  and  on  a  shoreless  ocean. 

Again,  it  is  said  by  another,  “  We  must  get  a  living.” 
Then  it  is  to  save  life  that  you  work  on  the  Lord’s  Day. 
And  bow  much  longer  will  you  live  by  working  seven  in¬ 
stead  of  six  days  in  a  week?  Did  a  man  ever  starve  be¬ 
cause  he  did  not  work  on  the  Sabbath? 

“  But,”  replies  another,  “  we  have  families  to  support 
—we  must  not  let  them  starve.  It  is  our  duty  to  take  oil 
when  we  can  get  it.”  And  is  ijour  family  in  a  state  of 
starvation'^  And  do  their  lives  and  health  depend  on  your 
Sabbath  whaling  ?  Then,  certainly,  your  excuse  is 
plausible.  It  will  never  do  to  let  your  wives  and  children 
Lifer  and  perish  for  want  of  a  little  extra  effort  on  your 
part,  even  though  it  be  on  the  Lord’s  Day.  But  how 
happens  it  that  this  excuse  is  as  often  made  by  the  full  fed 
as  by  the  hungry — 'oy  the  man  worth  ^50,000  as  often  as 
by  the  man  worth  only  |5?  How  piously  men  will  some¬ 
times  talk  in  order  to  justify  a  wicked  practice,  and  to 
make  others  believe  what  they  do  not  believe  themselves! 

Next  comes  up  another,  and  with  great  assurance  asks, 
“  Why  does  God  send  whales  on  the  Sabbath  if  he  does 
not  wish  us  to  take  them  ?”  This  excuse,  if  it  be  any  thing 
short  of  profanity,  is  almost  too  absurd  to  call  for  a  seri¬ 
ous  reply.  As  well  might  the  Arabian  robber  ask  why 
God  sends  the  caravan  in  the  desert,  or  the  ocean  pirate 
inquire  why  the  Almighty  brings  the  merchant  ship  within 
the  range  of  his  guns  and  his  pikes,  unless  it  be  to  gratify 

his  thirst  for  plunder.  ,  .  ,  • 

But  there  is  another  and  a  more  formidable  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  the  master  and  officers,  and  that  is,  the  known 
or  supposed  will  of  the  oivners  that  their  ships  should 
whale  on  the  Sabbath.  This,  to  many,  seems  amnsuper- 
able  difficulty.  “The  owners,”  say  they,  require  it. 
And  is  it  so?  What!  require  that  which  the  master  does 
not  require  of  his  slave,  the  manufacturer  of  his  opera¬ 
tives,  or  any  other  employer  of  his  laborers — nay  more, 
what  a  man  does  not  require  of  his  horse  and  his  ox! 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


n 


And  is  it  true  that  the  ship  owner  demands  that  which  the 
laws  of  his  country  do  not  require,  and  that  which  the 
laws  of  Heaven  forbid!  Is  it  possible  that  he  has  framed 
a  law  which  reads  thus — “  Seven  days  shalt  thou  labor 
and  do  all  my  work;  and  when  these  are  ended,  thou 
shalt  labor  other  seven  days,  and  thus  on  till  the  voyage 
is  over,  for  there  is  no  Sabbath  at  sea — there  is  no  rest 
for  the  sailor.” 

It  is  a  common  remark  of  masters  and  officers,  “If  we 
should  refuse  to  whale  on  the  Sabbath  we  should  never 
get  another  ship.  We  must  please  our  owners  or  we  are 
out  of  business.”  Then  it  would  be  better  to  be  out  of 
business.  Yea  it  would  be  better  to  beg  your  bread  from 
door  to  door,  than  to  grow  rich  by  doing  wrong.  “Ye 
cannot  serve  tivo  masters.”  If  ship  owners  are  so  illiberal 
and  oppressive  as  not  to  allow  a  Sabbath  to  those  in  their 
employ,  then  it  is  time  that  all  good  and  honest  men  seek 
business  in  which  they  may  act  up  to  the  dictates  of  their 
consciences.  Masters  have  been  heard  to  say,  “  Our 
owners  are  church  members,  but  they  would  never  give 
their  ships  to  any  who  would  not  whale  on  Sunday.” 
For  the  honor  of  such  men  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  is  a 
mistake.  But,  if  it  be  true,  it  only  furnishes  an  illustra¬ 
tion  of  the  assertions — “The  love  of  money  is  the  root  of 
all  evil  ”  “  He  that  maJceth  haste  to  be  rich  shall  not  be 

innocent;”  and  “  they  that  tvill  be  rich  fall  into  tempta¬ 
tion  and  a  snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts 
which  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition.” 

VII.  We  next  inquire  why  common  seamen  whale  on 
the  Lord’s  day. 

This  is  a  question  of  deep  interest,  as  it  must  effect  the 
temporal  and  eternal  well  being  of  many  thousands  of 
sailors. 

Perhaps  most  whale  men  never  stop  to  ask  why  they 
do  it.  It  is  a  custom  and  they  fall  in  with  it.  It  is  com¬ 
manded  and  they  do  it.  But  why  the  custom  and  the 
command  ?  “The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man” — for 
man  generic,  i.  e.  for  all  men.  Why,  then,  is  there  no 
Sabbath  for  the  sailor  ?  No  day  which  he  can  call  his 
own  ?  No  day  on  which  he  may  not  be  required  to  per¬ 
form  the  most  arduous  and  perilous  labors  ?  No  day  on 
which  he  may  rest  his  weary  limbs  ?  No  day  on  which 
he  may  retire  with  his  Bible  and  his  God,  and  feel  the 
calm  consciousness  of  relaxation  from  toil,  and  the  as- 


18 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


surance  that,  during  these  peaceful  hours,  no  mortal  may 
control  his  muscles  or  his  mind? 

It  is  true  that  many,  and  perhaps,  most  sailors,  are 
willing  to  whale  on  the  Sabbath,  Of  course  such  must 
bear  their  own  responsibility.  But  it  is  also  true,  that 
a  goodly  number  would  prefer  not  to  labor  on  that  day. — 
Hundreds  of  young  men  are  annually  shipped  from  the 
country.  Among  these  are  sometimes  found,  sober,  mo¬ 
ral  and  pious  men,  who  have  been  taught  by  religious 
parents  and  Christian  ministers,  to  “remember  the  Sab¬ 
bath.”  Many  ofthese  have  shipped  without  dreaming  that 
the  service  required  them  to  disregard  their  early  instruc¬ 
tions,  violate  the  dictates  pf  conscience  and  trample  on  a 
plain  command  of  Jehovah.  But  what  shall  they  do  r — 
Shall  they  claim  the  privileges  which  the  great  Creator 
granted  in  the  beginning,  equally  to  all  men  ?  This  is 
denied  them  !  Shall  they  plead  conscience  in  this  mat¬ 
ter  ?  This  only  e.xposes  them  to  ridicule  or  to  cursing  ! 
One  mightier  than  themselves  has  taken  their  conscien¬ 
ces,  their  bodies  and  souls  into  his  own  keeping.  A 
mortal  has  usurped  the  prerogative  of  the  Eternal,  and 
the  trembling  sailor  must  submit  in  silence.  His  obedi¬ 
ence,  his  fear,  his  allegiance,  and  all  his  moral  obliga¬ 
tions  have  been  transferred  to  a  fellow  worm.  On  shore 
all  laborers  have  a  legal  right  to  rest  one  day  in  seven ;  nor 
do  they  find  it  necessary  to  stipulate  beforehand  with  their 
employersto  that  effect.  Common  law,  common  custom, 
common  consent,  common  sense,  all  award  them  this  privi¬ 
lege,  and  they  take  it  as  Heaven’s  boon  to  all,  and  without 
crouching  to  ask  it  as  a  favor  at  the  hand  of  man.  But  at 
sea  all  is  changed.  The  ship  is  a  little  absolute  despotism, 
and  the  sailor  must  know  no  duty  paramount  to  “skip 
duty.”  All  will  acknowledge  that  the  master  should  com¬ 
mand  the  ship  and  govern  the  crew,  and,  that  the  sailor 
should  know  his  place,  obey  all  proper  orders,  and  cheer¬ 
fully  and  faithfully  discharge  every  real  duty  to  his  master 
and  to  the  ship.  Nor  need  this  interfere  with  his  freedom 
of  conscience  and  his  duty  to  his  Creator.  The  laws  of 
God  are  prior  and  paramount  to  all  human  rules  and 
regulations  ;  and  let  a  ship  only  be  governed  with  an 
honest  regard  to  this  incontrovertible  truth,  and  no  consci¬ 
entious  sailor  would  find  his  heart  in  conflict  with  the 
commands  of  his  superiors  whom  he  truly  wishes  to  re- 
apect  and  obey.  It  is  clear  that  some  things  should  be 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath, 


10 


done  on  the  Sabbath,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  preserva¬ 
tion  of  life,  health  and  happiness,  all  of  which  will  im¬ 
ply  a  proper  and  necessary  care  of  the  ship.  Evey  wise, 
liberal  and  Christian  commander,  will  discriminate  be¬ 
tween  things  really  necessary  to  be  done  on  this  day  and 
those  which  imagination,  or  caprice, or  custom,  or  the  love 
of  gain, have  stamped  with  the  false  name  of  necessary. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  serious  and  pious  men  some¬ 
times  ship  in  the  whaling  service.  Others,  again,  be¬ 
come  thoughtful  at  sea.  By  reading  the  Bible,  or  some 
other  religious  book  or  tract,  by  listening  to  preaching, 
while  in  some  foreign  port,  or  by  some  other  call  or  agen¬ 
cy  ot  Providence,  the  sailor’s  attention  may  be  arrested. 
Perhaps  the  sudden  death  of  a  shipmate,  or  the  reading 
of  a  letter  from  a  pious  mother  or  sister,  has  solemnized 
his  mind  and  softened  his  heart..  He  feels  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  religion  and  the  need  of  a  preparation  to  meet 
his  God.  But  what  can  he  do  ?  The  rules  of  his  ship  re¬ 
quire  of  him  that  which  the  voice  of  his  conscience  and 
the  laws  of  Heaven  forbid.  A  determination  “to  obey 
God  rather  than  man,”  brings  upon  him  a  mingled  tem¬ 
pest  of  ridicule  and  wrath.  This  storm  he  feels  una¬ 
ble  to  breast.  In  his  inexperience,  in  the  absence 
of  all  human  counsel  and  sympathy,  and  amidst  the 
Tnany  .  trials  of  his  situation,  his  flesh  and  his  heart 
shrink  from  the  unequal  conflict .  He  cannot  bring  his 
mind  to  the  holy  and  high  resol  ve  to  obey  the  instructions 
of  Christ,  “Fear  not  them  that  kill  the  body  but  are  not 
able  to  kill  the  soul.”  Instead  of  this,  “the  fear  of  man 
brings  a  snare”  upon  him.  For  a  little  while  he  strug¬ 
gles  with  his  convictions  of  duty,  and  then  gives  up  the 
conflict.  He  breaks  the  command,  sears  his  conscience 
and  sinks  into  stupidity.  He  may  hold  on  to  a  perishing 
hope,  or  he  may  go  back  to  the  world,  and  become 
“  ten-fold  mole  the  child  of  hell  than  before.”  Hence 
the  ruinous  remark  which  has  passed  into  a  proverb 
among  seamen — There  can  be  no  religion  at  sea.” 

What,  then,  can  the  pious  sailor  do  ?  He  should  un¬ 
derstand  that  “  to  fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments 
is  the  whole  duty  of  man.”  He  should  meekly,  respect¬ 
fully  and  manfully  claim  his  birthright  to  one  day  in  sev¬ 
en;  and  if  this  be  denied  him,  he  should,  as  some  have 
done,  calmly  and  patiently  suffer  persecution  “  for  right¬ 
eousness  sake,”  and  for  conscience  sake.  He  should 


•20 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


fear  God  rather  than  man,  and  “  in  well  doing  commit 
the  keeping  of  his  soul  to  him  as  a  faithful  Creator.”  He 
should  cast  his  burden  on  that  Almighty  arm  which  will 
one  day  plead  his  cause  and  redress  his  wrongs.  Better 
that  the  flesh  be  cut  with  the  lash,  or  boiled  in  the  cal¬ 
dron,  than  that  the  soul  be  cast  into  hell,  “Where  the 
worm  dieth  not  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.” 

This  may  be  called  “preaching  mutiny  and  encour¬ 
aging  insubordination  among  seamen.”  Nothintr  how¬ 
ever,  IS  farther  from  the  heart  of  the  writer,  or  from  the 
true  interpretation  of  these  remarks.  In  fact,  no  true 
babbath  keeping  seaman  ever  did  or  ever  will  engage  in 
mutiny.  This  conduct  may  be  expected  only  from  those 
who  do  not  fear  God  or  regard  his  Sabbaths.  But  it  will 
be  sufficient  to  reply  to  such  an  ungenerous  insinuation 
that  ij  this  be  mutiny,  then  Daniel,  Shadrach,  Paul,  Fe¬ 
tter,  yea,  all  the  prophets  and  apostles,  and  even  Christ 
himself  preached  and  practiced  the  same  doctrine. 

VIII.  We  next  ask,  Have  ship-masters  a  right  to 
compel  their  crews  to  whale  on  the  Sabbath  } 

The  only  legitimate  answer  to  this  question  is  no.  1st 
Because  the  sailor  has  signed  no  papers,  bonds,  instru¬ 
ments,  or  anything  else  whatsoever,  in  which  he  promi¬ 
ses  to  whale  seven  days  in  a  week.  And  moreover,  as 
has  been  remarked,  many  do  not  know  at  the  time  of 
shipping,  that  such  is  the  pract-fce  among  whalemen. 

.i.d.  Because  the  civil  law  does  not  grant  this  power 
to  the  master.  The  laws  of  most  Chri.stian  States  dis¬ 
tinctly  recognize  the  Lord’s  day,  and  offer  protection  to 
all  who  wish  to  observe  it.  Nowhere,  in  a  free  and 
Christian  community,  are  common  laborers  compelled  by 
the  civil  power,  to  toil  cn  the  Sabbath.  Wherever  the 
law  speaks  on  this  subject,  it  lifts  its  voice  in  favor  of  a  day 
of  rest  for  the  weary  laborer,  and  offers  no  encourage¬ 
ment  to  the  oppressor  who  would  take  this  boon  from  him. 

3d.  Because  the  Almighty  never  gave  this  power  to 
the  master.  *  "  ^ 


In  the  beginning  God  gave  the  Sabbath  to  man— fo  all 

men  of  evevy  class.  It  is  Heaven’s  rich  legacy  to  all _ 

It  is  inalienable,  and  no  man  can  take  it  from  his  fellow 
without  entrenching  on  the  prerogatives  of  Jehovah. 
How  then,  shall  the  master  of  a  ship  have  power  to  dis¬ 
annul,  or  to  suspend  at  pleasure,  this  statute  of  Heaven, 
by  refusing  those  under  his  command,  the  enjoyment  of 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


21 


that  day  of  rest,  which  none  but  the  Eternal  King,  who 
first  gave  the  boon,  can,  with  impunity,  take  from  them? 

On  many  ships,  there  are  individuals  who  feel  that  it 
is  not  right  to  whale  on  the  Lord’s  Day,  and  they  never 
do  it  but  with  troubled  consciences  and  uneasy  hearts. 
Now,  will  a  commander  take  the  dread  responsibility  of 
forcing  axidi  crushing  snch  consciences?  Will  he  con¬ 
sent  to  pervert  the  power  of  his  station  to  intimidate  and 
drive  such  men  to  do  that,  which  they  and  other  consci¬ 
entious  and  disinterested  men,  believe  to  be  wrong? 
Such  a  spirit  is  tyranny — it  robs  a  man  of  a  birth-right, 
as  clearly  inalienable  as  those  of  “life,  liberty  and  the 
pursuit  of  happiness.”  It  is  like  driving  a  man  headlong 
over  a  beatling  precipice. 

It  is  said  that  Napoleon,  in  the  height  of  his  power, 
made  this  singularly  truthful  assertion,  “  My  dominion 
ceases  ivhere  that  of  conseience  begins.”  Would  all  men 
in  power  act  on  this  principle,  bigotry,  intolerance, 
oppression  and  persecution — social,  civil  and  religious, 
would  soon  cease  from  the  earth. 

No  independent  man  would  be  willing  to  be  intimi¬ 
dated,  under  penalty  of  brute-force,  to  read  his  Bible, 
or  to  pray,  or  to  attend  Christian  worship  on  the  Sabbath. 
Such  an  exertion  of  power  would  be  complainbd  of  as  a 
palpable  violation  of  personal  right,  and  as  an  act  of 
intolerable  tyranny.  If  then,  he  would  not  be  driven, 
by  compulsion,  to  the  discharge  of  a  inoral  duty,  why 
should  any  one  exert  the  power  of  a  temporary  station, 
in  compelling  men  to  sinl  Masters  little  realize  the  sol¬ 
emn  responsibility  they  take  upon  themselves,  in  thus 
abusing  the  authority  with  which  they  are  invested.  It 
were  enough,  for  one  to  break  the  Sabbath  himself,  per¬ 
sonally,  without  compelling  others  to  do  it.  He  would 
then  bear  only  his  own  individual  responsibility.  But  the 
case  assumes  another  and  a  more  fearful  aspect,  when 
he  usurps  the  power  to  coerce  those  under  him  to  do 
the  same.  It  is  sufficiently  wicked  to  laugh  and 
mock  at  men — impeach  their  motives,  call  them  “  bigots, 
hypocrites,  lazy  dogs  &.c.,  ”  because  they  express  scruples 
as  to  the  morality  ofSrbbath  whaling.  What,  then,  is  the 
guilt  of  those  who  raise  the  rod  of  terror,  to  drive  men 
into  this  sin?  Nor  does  it  at  all  relieve  the  case  for  the 
master  to  tell  the  pious,  conscience-troubled  sailor, 
“you  have  nothing  to  say  in  this  matter,  God  will  never 


22 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


punish  you  for  doing  your  duty  to  the  ship — 1  will  agree 
to  take  all  the  responsibility!”  Take  a  stronger  case:  A 
pious  sailor  ventures  tremblingly  into  the  presence  of  the 
master,  to  ask  the  privilege  of  resting  on  the  Sabbath 
day  according  to  the  commandment.”  His  petition  is 
presented  in  a  meek  and  respectful  manner,  and  based 
upon  the  dictates  of  conscience  and  the  instructions  of 
the  Bible.  He  is  met  thus:  “  Dont  open  your  head  again 
on  that  subject  f — you  teach  the  crew  insubordination! — I 
canH  hear  a  ivord  about  it! — if  you  loill  not  do  your  duty, 
I  will  make  you! — go  forward  you  *  *  *  !” 

This  is  no  fiction — painful  cases  like  the  above  have 
occurred — and  some  of  a  worse  type,  where  a  pious  and 
inoffensive  seaman  has  suffered  corporeal  punishment  for 
conscience  sake.  Other  cases  would  occur,  should 
seamen  assert  their  rights  in  this  matter. 

But  the  master  who  can  take  this  course  with  the  pi¬ 
ous  and  sincere  sailor,  possesses  an  unenviable  charac¬ 
ter.  He  is  too  near  of  kin  to  one  who,  after  having 
beaten  and  cursed  a  part  of  his  crew — calling  them  after 
the  name  of  Baalam’s  beast,  walked  rapidly  upon  the 
quarter  deck,  and  while  heated  with  passion,  and  inflated 
with  the  consciousness  of  “a  little  brief  authority,”  ex¬ 
claimed,  i‘ ril  let  you  know  that  1  am  God  Mnighty  of 
this  little  world!”  [the  ship.] 

Now  there  is  no  need  of  all  this — there  is  no  need  of 
making  '‘ship’s  duties”  to  conflict  with  moral  didies . 
Every  ship-master  would  soon  find  his  reward  in  keep¬ 
ing  the  Sabbath;  not  only  in  the  approbation  of  his  own 
conscience,  but  in  the  obedience,  the  social  happiness 
and  the  improved  morals  of  his  crew.  So  long  as  sea¬ 
men  are  not  allowed  a  Sabbath,  so  long  will  their  gen¬ 
eral  morals  be  bad,  and  their  many  vices  remain  un¬ 
checked.  This  is  true  of  every  community  on  earth. 
Where  men  are  not  taught  to  reverence  the  high  author¬ 
ity  of  their  maker,  they  will-  have  but  little  true  and 
heart-felt  respect  for  the  authority  of  man.  Consequent¬ 
ly,  while  this  is  so  much  the  case  at  sea,  owners,  mas¬ 
ters,  officers,  and  sailors  to  say  nothing  of  many  others, 
are  mutual  sufferers  in  this  common  evil. 

It  is  cheering,  however,  to  know  that  there  are'many  ex- 
ceptionsto  this  dark  picture.  We  trust  that  there  are  many 
masters  and  officers  who  respect  the  laws  of  God  and 
the  rights  of  conscience.  Such  will  not  drive  those  un- 


THE  sailor’s  sabbath. 


23 


der  their  authority  to  sin  against  their  Maker.  They  understand 
that  the  doctrine  of  silent,  implicit  obedience  to  all  comrnands, 
without  respect  to  right  or  wrong,  may  do  for  a 

but  it  will  not  do  for  a  moral,  accountable  agent,  as  it  would  lead 
to  the  wicked  absurdity,  that  a  pious  sailor  must  turn  pirate  shou  d 
his  master  command  it.  Resistance  to  this  dangf  ous  and  unholy 
doctrine,  threw  Daniel  into  the  den  of  lions,  Shadrach  and  his  fel¬ 
lows  into  the  burning  furnace,  Paul  and  the  apostles  into  prisons, 
martyrs  into  the  flames,  and  the  thirteen  American  colonies  into 

“  the  revolution.”  .•  j  • 

A  few  more  objections,  which  have  not  been  noticed  in  th-  pre¬ 
ceding  pages,  will  close  the  subject.  .  .  u.i;„„ 

Some  say  that  they  should  never  fill  their  ships  witliout  whaling 

on  the  Sabbath.  But  how  do  they  know  that  ?  ^ 

tried  it  ?  There  have  been  a  few  examples  of 
whalers,  and  their  success  has  been  very  much  like  that  ot  others. 
But  the  subject  hitherto  has  been  one  of  theory  and  vain  specula¬ 
tion,  rather  than  of  practical  experiment.  Let  one-hdf  o’ 

whaling  fleet  practice  on  the  principle  of  keeping  the  Sabbath  tor 

ten  years,  and  then  look  at  their  comparative  success  The  ques- 
tion^of  pecuniary  loss  and  gain  would  then  be  settled  on  the  im¬ 
partial  ground  of  facts.  Till  such  trial  shall  have  been  made,  the 
objection  is  hasty,  ex  parte  and  gratuitous. 

But  should  it  be  proved,  which,  as  God  is  true,  it  never  ‘-a"  » 

that  the  whaling  business  cannot  be  successfully  prosecuted 

without  violating  the  commands  of  '^‘V!l1nparis 

proved  that  it  should  not  be  prosecuted  at  all;  for  no  business  is 
justifiable  which  requires  for  its  success  the  breach  of  any  one  ot 

^"*But  the  question  is  not  to  be  settled  on  the  principle  of  pecuni¬ 
ary  loss  and  gain.  Were  we  to  admit  this  test,  we  might  justify 
the  distiller,  the  rum  seller,  the  smuggler  the  robber,  the  slaver 
and  the  pirate.  No  !  The  question  is  to  be  tested  by  higher  and 
holier  prLciples  than  the  love  of  dollars  and  cents.  Before  v.  e  suf¬ 
fer  ourselves  to  be  too  much  influenced  by  such  mercenary  and  de¬ 
lusive  motives,  it  will  bo  well  to  solve  the  question  Fopo^edby  our 
Savior— “  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  shall  gam  the  whole 

world  Slid  lose  his  own  soul  ?  •  v-  i 

Others  say,  “By  refusing  to  whale  on  Sunday,  we  might  lose 
our  best  chances  for  taking  oil.  Sometimes  we  don’t  see  whales 
for  a  whole  month  or  more,  then,  all  at  once,  we  raise  a  schoo I  on 
the  Sabbath,  and,  if  we  let  these  go,  we  may  not  have  another 
chance  for  months  to  come.”  This,  to  the  anxious  whaleman, 
looks  like  a  hard  case.  He  is  weary  with  waiting.  Hope  de¬ 
ferred  makes  his  heart  sick.”  He  has  not  learned  to  ‘  walk 

faith” _ to  trust  in  that  unseen,  tha.t  faithful  /land  which  holds 

Lstiny,  and  which  fills  or  empties  our  earthly  cup  of  pkasure.  The 

love  of  gain,  the  desire  of  change,  the  hope  of  hastening 

to  his  native  land,  all  fill  his  mind,  and  he  almost  P®>-®®ades  hra- 

self  that  God  has  sent  these  whales  as  a  special 

grant  to  spend  the  Sabbath  in  capturing  He  cannot  now 

feel  the  truth  affirmed  of  God’s  Commandments,  that  ‘  In  keeping 

trem  there  is  great  reward.”  “No  !  No  !”  says  the  whaleman. 


'24 


THE  SAILOR^S  SABBATH. 


“  There  will  be  loss,  great  loss  in  it.  We  shall  lose  a  whale  !  pets 
haps  a  hundred  barrel  whale!  worth  $2,000  !  That  is  more  than 
poor  men  can  afford  to  lose  !”  My  brother  !  you  would  not  speak 
thus  did  you  believe  what  God  has  affirmed,  that  “  Godliness  is 
profitable  to  all  things,  having  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come.”  You  deny  that  ”  In  keeping  the 
commandments  there  is  great  reward.”  This  you  must  settle  with 
your  Maker  and  Judge. 

Another  asks,  ”  What  shall  w’e  do  with  the  whale  killed  on  Sat¬ 
urday  ?”  We  cannot  try  him  out  before  the  Sabbath,  and  if  we 
wait  till  Monday  we  shall  lose  him.  Therefore,  if  we  stop  work 
on  Sunday,  we  must  on  Saturday  also.”  This  objection  looks 
plausible,  to  those  not  acquainted  with  the  facts  in  the  case.  But 
from  extensive  inquiries  of  masters  and  officers  in  the  whaling  ser¬ 
vice,  it  is  believed  to  be  more  imaginary  than  real.  Probably  the 
cases  would  be  rare  where  a  whale,  or  any  part  of  a  whale,  would 
be  lost  by  suspending  the  process  of  “  boiling  out”  from  12  o’clock 
on  Saturday  night  till  12  on  Sabbath  night.  At  least,  this  opinion 
has  been  expressed  by  many  candid  masters  and  officers. 

But  as  we  are  not  to  test  the  question  by  the  probabilities  of 
temporal  loss  and  gain,  it  must,  like  all  other  moral  subjects,  be  re¬ 
ferred  “  To  the  Law  and  the  Testimony.”  Does  the  Bible  allow 
the  whaler  to  “look  out  for  whales,”  pursue  whales,  kill,  cut  in, 
and  boil  out  whales  on  the  Sabbath,  as  on  other  days  of  the  week  ? 
We  all  know  better. 

Another  says,  “  There  is  no  more  harm  in  whaling  than  in  at¬ 
tending  to  the  sails,  and  taking  a  trick  at  the  wheel  on  the  Sab¬ 
bath.”  As  this  objection  belongs  to  a  class  which  appear  more 
like  quibbles  than  like  honest  difficulties,  it  will  be  dismissed  with 
two  brief  remarks.  1st.  If  any  sincere  inquirer  after  truth  wilt 
conscientiously  break  off  from  the  greater  sin  of  Sabbath  whaling, 
and  do  “  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,”  he  will  not  long  be  in 
the  dark  as  to  his  duty  in  smaller  things;  such  as  “  tything  of 
mint  and  anise,”  etc.  First,  remove  “  the  beam”  from  the  eye, 
and  then  “  the  mote”  will  be  more  clearly  seen. 

2d.  If  any  sophist  wishes  to  quibble  on  this  subject,  let  him  quib¬ 
ble  with  hismelf. 

The  foregoing  remarks  have  been  written  with  great  plainness 
and  freedom,  but  with  the  utmost  candor  and  good  will,  and  with 
an  earnest  and  sincere  desire  to  promote  the  temporal  and  eternal 
welfare  of  all  concerned.  In  this  light  they  will  be  received  by  every 
honest  lover  of  truth.  None  will  be  offended  at  their  plainness,  but 
those  who  are  determined  to  resist  the  light  “  because  their  deeds 
are  evil.”  The  sentiments  herein  expressed  are  those  which  tho 
writer  is  willing  to  meet,  and  those  which  every  whaleman,  and 
all  others  concerned,  will  meet  at  the  Judgment  Day, 

May  the  time  hasten  when  the  Sabbath  sun  shall  be  hailed  joy¬ 
fully  by  every  seaman — when  the  Bethel  Flag  shall  wave  aloft  on 
every  ship,  and  when  every  ocean  and  sea  shall  echo  the  glad  an¬ 
them  of  the  sailor,  as  his  song  of  praise  is  borne  on  the  breath  of 
Heaven  into  the  ear  of  Him  “  who  made  the  sea  and  the  dry 
land.” 


■ir, 


